For many students senior year is a time to begin job hunting, to apply to graduate school, to wrap up requirements for their major, and to potentially prepare for life outside of Cornell. Three seniors have utilized multiple Cornell resources in order to assist in the transition from Cornell to the road less traveled.
 Heather Roth ’08, a marketing and business communication and psychology double major, has interned at a retention management consulting firm called Noel-Levitz in Iowa City for the last two summers. Roth’s duties included researching the demographics of clients, finding trends in data, and even working directly with some of the company’s clients.
“My internship helped me gain experience into the business world that will be helpful as I apply to business schools this year and later when I look for a job. I had the opportunity to test many different skills required in the marketing/consulting jobs, and because of this experience, I am more content in knowing what I want to do for the rest of my life,” said Roth.
Roth utilized Career Services and got in touch with a Cornell alumnus who works at Noel-Levitz in order to get her internship. Roth is also looking forward to seeing her undergraduate years come to a close and said, “It will be fun to see everything from the past years wrap up into the future.”
Another student who took advantage of Cornell resources was Veronica Czastkiewicz ’08, a political science and international relations double major. Czastkiewicz received a fellowship through the Cornell Fellows program and worked at the Goldwater Institute, a non-profit, non-partisan public policy research organization.
 “Spending time with the Goldwater Institute has been life-changing. Previously, I was up in the air as to my future career and academic choices. Increasingly, I am considering public policy as a dynamic, engaging career path,” said Czastkiewicz.
Czastkiewicz’s duties as the Riesen Fellow in Public Affairs at the Goldwater Institute included creating outreach packets, reading several books, contacting media, and providing information about potential speakers or award recipients.
Nate Olafsen ’08, a biochemistry and molecular biology major with an anthropology minor, is a third student who has taken advantage of Cornell opportunities. Olafsen will be traveling to Peru taking part in Operation Walk, a private, non-profit, volunteer medical services organization that provides free surgical treatment for patients in developing countries and the United States.
 “I had heard about the trip through Bobbi Buckner Bentz in the Dimensions program and from other students. I was interested in [Operation Walk] because of my interest in medicine and my passion for learning about culture. Helping others is also something I enjoy. Cornell has an extensive application process that I went through, and luckily enough, I was selected,” said Olafsen.
Olafsen’s responsibility on the trip is to be the photographer documenting anything important on film. Accompanied by Amanda Jepson ’09, Olafsen will help unload supplies, set up the operating rooms, assist with patients’ recovery and comfort, and even scrub in for surgery. Olafsen will also get to see several sights of Peru including Lima, Cusco, and Machu Pichu.
These three seniors have taken full advantage of several opportunities that Cornell has to offer. Because of these experiences during or prior to their senior year, Roth, Czastkiewicz, and Olafsen will all be able to navigate the road less traveled with ease.
|
